We are excited to announce a new partnership with Paul Wissmach Glass Company (PWGC) for our 2026 programming! As part of both organizations’ commitment to empowering artists and giving them the vital resources they need to create, innovate, and push our community forward, PWGC will be sponsoring a lecmo at the Corning 2026 conference and a masterclass at the 2026 International Festival of Glass. This sponsorship includes an increased stipend to the artist awarded with this named lecmo opportunity and complimentary supplies needed to showcase their work in their presentation. This year’s Corning 2026 Paul Wissmach Glass Company lecmo will be presented by Sandra Bacchi, and the 2026 International Festival of Glass masterclass will be taught by Opal Seabrook.
Paul Wissmach Glass Company has been crafting high-quality handmade glass products in Paden City, West Virginia, for over 120 years. They offer an exquisite palette of colors in art glass, dalle de verre, COE 96 kiln sheet glass, frit, and powder, COE 96 casting billets, and casting and furnace cullet.
PWGC glass can be found in numerous historic and contemporary glass projects and installations worldwide, including the White House, the recently renovated Scranton City Hall, and the Basilica in Rome. PWGC provides top-quality and affordable glass materials to artists, designers, architects, and restorers through a global network of over 200 distributors and wholesalers.
In 2021, Annabelle Javier and Jason Wilburn, along with a group of family and friends, purchased PWGC, continuing the company’s storied history as a family-owned business. PWGC is one of only four companies still making hand-rolled colored sheet glass in the United States.
Annabelle and Jason believe the arts are important, specifically those that highlight and preserve America’s industrial heritage. Annabelle serves as a board member of the Glass Art Society, and president of Pittsburgh Glass Center’s board, while Jason serves as a board member of the Stained Glass Association of America.
Wissmach Kiln Lecmo | Sandra Bacchi
The Wissmach Kiln Lecmo at the Corning 2026 conference is “When a Photograph Becomes Material” by Sandra Bacchi. Through selected glass-based works and installations, Bacchi will explore how transparency, layering, and light reshape the way an image is experienced. Rather than remaining a flat surface, the photograph becomes dimensional—shifting with the viewer’s movement and the surrounding light. The demonstration portion will focus on her process of translating photographic imagery into glass, including decal transfer, image selection, layering decisions, and material challenges that influence clarity, distortion, and depth.
Wissmach Kiln Masterclass | Opal Seabrook
At the 2026 International Festival of Glass, the Wissmach Kiln Masterclass will be “Fusing with the Wow Factor” by Opal Seabrook. In this course, students will dive into the world of glass fusing and painting to create a unique and individual final piece of 3D artwork to take home. Seabrook will share the unique techniques she has honed over a decade of artistic practice – including self-taught methods that have shaped her distinctive style. From concept to completion, students will draw out designs, transform them into stencils, and mark them onto Wissmach glass sheets. These shapes will then be cut out using both hand tools and a Taurus ring saw to make the impossible….achievable! Students will add shading and intricate detailing with enamel techniques, including airbrushing, painting, and line work, and their pieces will be kiln-fired up to three times to bring everything together into a layered 3D masterpiece.